Iraq Seeks Revival of Railway Links with Syrian Ports

By Nabeel Al Mulhem Iraq has voiced hope that the plans related to a railway linking the country to neighboring Syria would be revived to facilitate

By Nabeel Al Mulhem

Iraq has voiced hope that the plans related to a railway linking the country to neighboring Syria would be revived to facilitate transport of goods imported by Baghdad via Syrian ports.

During his visit to Syria last week, Iraqi trade minister Mohammad Mahdi Saleh told Albawaba.com that his country is “looking forward to more activation of the Syrian ports, and to cost reduction by reviving railways existing between the two countries, which should be upgraded and made ready for use also by Arabs and foreigners.”

Sources at the Syrian ministry of economy and trade said that the volume of trade exchange between the two Arab countries has reached $400 million, calculated according to the contracts concluded between the two countries since they signed the memorandum of understanding.

According to the same sources, the contracts involve in their major part food and medicine deals, but Saleh’s visit to Damascus also aimed at expanding the volume of imports through Syrian ports. They said Iraq has already agreed with contractors to supply it with 839,000 tons of goods through Tartous Port, expected to rise to a million in the current year.

Talks between the Iraqi minister and Syrian officials also tackled trade exhibitions to be held in both countries, the sources added – Damascus, Albawaba.com